Amid sloppiness, Rudy Gobert showed he can raise Timberwolves to new heights

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch speaks of "Rudy's gravity." Wednesday night, Rudy Gobert prompted Timberwolves fans to defy it.

Early in his Minnesota debut, Gobert repeatedly pulled them up and out of their seats, suggesting a large body can raise the tides of an entire franchise.

In a sloppy opening-night performance from the Wolves, Gobert produced 23 points, 16 rebounds, two assists and a block in a 115-108 victory over Oklahoma City at Target Center.

"It shows how good we can be, and how much better we can be at the same time," Gobert said. "It's going to be a process and every night is going to be an opportunity for us to get better."

Three months after the Wolves traded a large package of players and draft picks to the Utah Jazz for a large center, Gobert scored on his first offensive possession with the Wolves, missing a shot, grabbing his own rebound and laying it in.

There was a moment of concern. With about a minute and a half left in the second quarter, Gobert lost the ball in the offensive paint, dove to the floor and slapped it toward his teammates.

While play continued, Gobert lay on the court, grabbing his right knee. Teammate Karl-Anthony Towns stopped to help him up, and Gobert limped downcourt, refusing to leave the game.

Gobert said he banged knees with an opponent.

A few minutes earlier, with Gobert on the bench, the Thunder drove into the paint, missed a point-blank shot, then grabbed the rebound and scored. Finch walked disgustedly down the length of his team's bench, waving his arm to get Gobert back in the game to prevent such occurrences.

The Wolves' offense figures to be a work in progress as the starters get accustomed to playing with Gobert, as Gobert learns how to play with Towns.

In their first game together, Towns frequently looked to pass to Gobert. "KAT has been amazing," Gobert said. "He's constantly looking for me. … The fact that he can find me is going to open things up for him and everybody else."

In a surprisingly tight fourth quarter, Gobert's defense at the rim altered at least a couple of important shots. "It's valuable, valuable — very valuable," point guard D'Angelo Russell said of Gobert's rim protection. "It's really underrated. … I consider those plays like dunks."

After the team's morning shoot-around, Towns walked quickly to the interview area and spoke intensely, accentuating his answers by smacking the table in front of him, repeatedly talking about "being great."

Teammate Kyle Anderson, asked if Towns had given his teammates the same vibe, said Towns walked into the locker room in the morning saying the same thing to them.

To be great, the Wolves will have to find answers to these questions:

How will Towns perform, knowing this is his best chance to prove himself a winner?

How will Russell play in a contract year, on a team built around two big men and a rising scorer in Anthony Edwards?

Will Jaden McDaniels' offensive skills and defensive prowess turn him into a star instead of a role player?

Can Gobert score when opponents defend him with a smaller player? Most of his points come on offensive rebounds, alley-oop dunks and point-blank shots.

Gobert's debut ranked among the most-anticipated in Twin Cities sports history, and promises to make the Timberwolves the most interesting team in Minnesota.

His first game, though, felt more like an extended practice than an unveiling. After taking a 16-point lead, the Wolves allowed an undersized and overmatched Thunder team to cut their lead to 76-72.

The crowd, raucous to begin the game, settled into a nervous silence.

In the last seconds of the third quarter, and with the Wolves trailing by two, Gobert stole the ball near midcourt and hit a running one-hander at the free-throw line to make it 87-87, entering his first fourth quarter with the Wolves.

"His impact was strong everywhere," Finch said. "And, of course, at the rim."